This report contains a section on PRA and its use in on-farm trials in Sri Lanka. The principles of RRA are outlined and discussed. A number of RRA techniques are described - pair ranking, matrix ranking, wealth ranking, diagramming, interviewing, key informants and reconnaissance surveys - using aerial maps and remote sensing.
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This article is based on work done by the Policy Alternatives for Livestock Development project which is facilitating the transfer from a command to a market economy in the extensive rural livestock sector in Mongolia. Wealth ranking was used in the early stages of this project. The paper is interesting as rather than discussing and describing the wealth ranking method. It considers the policy reasons for using this method, the role and value of wealth ranking by card sorting and its position in the research and training process. This gives a clear idea of a research process and how a PRA method might work within the process.
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Based in Mongolia, this study is an interesting example of combining natural resource ranking with seasonal calendars. The result is maps for different times in the year, which clearly show differentials between seasons and times when food is short. The method is clearly described and the uses to which the results can be put discussed.
This report begins with general issues in connection with mapping 1)types of maps which may be useful, 2) use of mapping in resource management projects 3) process of mapping. The article then moves to a consideration of suspending our disbelief and moving away from traditional ideas of accuracy as equal to locational correctness or accurate scale. Accuracy in Moench's terms is determined by whether the map serves its purpose. Part II considers two case studies where mapping has been used to study problems in indigenous forest management systems. In Mardi Khola, Nepal, transects indicating types of land use were the main basis for discussion; while in Harayana, India, several aspects of community life were mapped - resource distribution, local geography, and local land use patterns.
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This report is based on the work of the group (SHAS), in Guinea Bissau, whose main aim is to improve the quality of the area's physical infrastructures and to develop human resource capacity. PRA methods have been incorporated into this work. Three examples of PRA in practice are given, weed-ranking which indicates land quality and suitability for cultivation, mapping of land distribution - a quick guide to wealth and poverty and the mapping of hydrological features in the area. The report concludes with lessons learnt from these exercises. In each instance farmers were crucial in the process and augmented their own knowledge of the areas and what was happening in them. [Abstract based on mimeo version]
This book introduces forest management from a macro perspective illustrating the increasing levels of participation in forestry. The most important aspect of these two volumes is the clear description of the steps which need to be taken to prepare for community forestry research. Issues higlighted include the use of secondary sources of data and the importance of the research team's approach. Details of the process of a rapid appraisal for community forest management are given. A wide spread of information sources need to be tapped for effective community forestry research (and possibly by implication for all development research). These include both community values and perceptions of the forest and levels of forest product use. All levels of forest staff must participate for effective interventions and truly participatory research. Ways of analysing, using and communicating this knowledge are discussed.
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This article describes the adaptation of the matrix scoring technique to investigate local perceptions of agroecosystem properties - productivity, stability, sustainability and equity. Methods discussed include transects, mapping and modelling, matrix ranking of productivity, and matrix ranking of the productivity of different crop combinations, seasonal calendars and timelines.
The introduction to this book asserts that RRA has been used in coastal communitites, but "what has been lacking so far are attempts to use RRA systematically in looking at fishing communities, their way of life and livelihood, and the coastal ecosystems in which they live". This manual attempts to fill that gap. It is specifically intended as an introduction to RRA for people in departments of fisheries, local fisheries services and NGOs.
Describes the main process, and explores the problems encountered, during the ACTIONAID-Nepal utilization survey in the Rural Development Area of Sindhupalchowk, in September 1991. Objectives of the survey were: to assess how far the ideas and assets which the community has developed with Action Aid Nepal are being utilised, and the community's perception of the impact of these; to involve the community and thus increase their understanding; to increase AAN's understanding of the conditions of the poorest. The week of survey work was carried out by teams which comprised of the Community Development Committee (CDC) members, other local people and staff facilitators - staff, but not community members, were trained in PRA. Selective tools and techniques of PRA methods were used to gather all the information; the village map (of which examples are given in the appendix) was the most extensively used, semi-structured interviews were employed to collect information on household's participation in activities, and time trend and preference ranking methods were also drawn upon. Problems encountered in the survey were that indicators had not been agreed through a participatory process, the three-day training in PRA techniques was found to be insufficient, and structured questions left gaps and revealed bias. The bulk of the report is devoted to the survey findings
This paper presents the findings of a one and a half day investigation of the impact of BRAC's Rural Development Programme (RDP) on a village in Manikganj. It was conducted by 11 BRAC staff as a part of a RRA/PRA Refresher course and provided an opportunity to test out the methods to be used in the PRA component of the BRAC Impact Assessment Study [IAS]. The paper is divided into four main sections. In the first, the methodology used in the study is explained - main methods used time lines, seasonal calendars and wealth ranking. In the second, the location is introduced and the history of BRAC's involvement is reconstructed. The third section asks who has benefited, to what extent, and how ? And finally, the wider implications of this pilot study for the IAS are drawn out - these include the assertion that more time is needed for fieldwork, and the observation that, while RRA/PRA potentially offer a very good way of dealing with the IAS agenda, this potential will only be realized if "the most able of the BRAC staff trained in the methods are given the responsibility".
Describes a short exercise designed to explore the potential uses of RRA/PRA for Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee [BRAC]. Divided into two major sections, the first is a general introduction to some of the most commonly used RRA/PRA techniques, while the second presents the findings of an attempt to use RRA methods to evaluate the performance of a BRAC-supported village deep tube-well group. Section one is based around a summary chart of the range of techniques "currently [in 1991] employed by RRA/PRA practitioners". Notes on each of these techniques expand on this chart and provide some useful advice and information on the application and procedure characterising each technique. The case study, described in section 2, was carried out by a team of 6 BRAC staff (none of whom had previously performed RRA) and facilitated by Mick Howes from the IDS. Two and a half days were spent on preliminary orientation and a further two and a half days in the field. Although a complete evaluation study of the performance of the village deep tube well group was not carried out during this period, a "number of potentially significant insights were generated" and the potential for RRA/PRA in operational and research work (including evaluation) within BRAC was emphasised.
This manual "is designed to provide ideas on how to learn from and with rural women (and men!)". Its aim is to convince the readers of the need to consider gender and environmental issues in the planning, implementation and M&E of any development activity. The introduction reviews the general issues. Section 2 is a set of guide-lines on communication, learning and analysis of techniques for use in investigating local natural resources issues with rural women. These techniques are largely drawn from the RRA repertoire but their specific application to gender and the environment makes this volume more than 'just another RRA manual'. There are useful boxed examples of the use of various techniques and a list of books and organisations which offer more information on the subject. Section 3 comprises a number of illustrative case studies by groups of rural women. Section 4 describes some simple techniques which have been applied in conservation projects and case studies of how groups of rural women have used these ideas.
This manual follows on from a concept paper also prepared by D'Arcy Davis-Case and is the result of an Agroforestry Monitoring and Evaluation Project workshop which was held in 1988. The field manual is divided into three sections. Section One introduces the idea of participatory Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation [PAME] and provides some two-way communication exercises for field staff. Section Two provides the methods determining information needs, and ways that information can be analyzed and presented. While Section Three described the information collecting tools, and offers some suggestions for the selection of tools. There are 23 tools listed in this latter selection, including; Semi-structured interviews (tool 9), Ranking, Rating and Sorting (tool 10), Maps and mapping (tool 14) and community directed visual images (tool 21). Although the RRA/PRA methodology is not specifically mentioned, this manual does represent a very useful and well ordered contribution to the literature of PM&E, while some of the tools described under PAME are directly applicable to a PRA orientated approach.
The important role of rural people in the management of forest and tree resources is increasingly acknowledged, and the methods and approaches have evolved to stimulate people's participation. A participatory development strategy that can be applied to community forestry projects, and to other sectors as well, is presented in this paper: Participatory Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation [PAME] is an on-going process of information, identification, information gathering, information analysis, and information feedback, which involves the following methods: "community site selection", "community problem analysis", "participatory baselines", "participatory monitoring and on-going evaluation", and "information analysis and communication of results. A range of participatory tools that can be used to gather, synthesize and analyse information needed for each PAME activity is detailed.
Both ASA and SPEECH have been working on tank and bund rehabilitation programmes, and watershed management/soil and water conservation. PRA was used to evaluate the performance of these programmes, discover the impact of the project, and assist in finding the future direction.